


Sunrise Gate

by StressQueen



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dragon Ball Z - Freeform, Dragon Ball Z Abridged - Freeform, F/M, Falling In Love, I do not know how to tag, this is really hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-08 02:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17377940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StressQueen/pseuds/StressQueen
Summary: Shorty is just your over the top teenager trying to earn a job or at least an internship at the famous news agency NNC. All she wants is to write an article on the famous Goku, but is suddenly thrown into the dangerous and confusing world of violence & strange looking aliens... along with a cute boy from the future & some killer robots. What's a girl gotta do to get her paper done?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've placed some references from the Dragon Ball Z Abridged series in here lol. If you haven't watched it (you should tbh) then that's okay, it doesn't affect the story.

"So his name is Goku?"

"Yup!"

"And he's like super strong? And buff?"

"Don't forget he has the brain of a monkey!"

Shorty pushed up her round, wired framed glasses and scribbled down notes of this Goku. This is gold, no way is anyone else going to have this type of story. What are the chances that someone would already have detail on some guy who defeated a weird purple alien named Frieza?

No one.

"This is amazing, Bulma. Thank you!" Shorty gushed as she clutched her notebook tightly against her chest. "It's also okay that I keep this picture of Goku?" the young student asked as she slipped out a worn out picture from the pages of her notebook. Bulma glanced over to Shorty and nodded her head, "Yeah, I got lots of the goofball. You're going to have to do some digging for pictures of when he entered the world tournament though. I don't have any from that time," she said with a wink. Shorty nodded, "Do you have any of Frieza? Or this Vegetable guy you talked about?" She asked.

"Bwahaha! Vegetable?" Yamcha laughed, suddenly bringing attention to himself. He was sitting next to Bulma at the table and was silent for most of the conversation. Shorty felt her cheeks heat up and she looked away embarrassed. "Did I say something weird?" She asked. Bulma shook her head, "Uhh yes, his name is Vegeta, not vegetable. And I don't have any pictures of that jerk," she huffed.

"Vegeta?" Shorty whispered as she opened her notebook and crossed out vegetable and wrote above it Vegeta. "That makes more sense," the girl murmured.

"Ya know, I kinda like this whole peace thing that's going on," Yamcha said, changing the subject. Shorty looked up confused.

"Yeah, but speaking of Vegeta… I wonder where he is?" Bulma questioned tapping her chin. A smile was on her lips as her mind wandered on the thought of him. Yamcha shrugged, "Probably out there scampering around space. Chasing after Goku most likely," he chuckled. Shorty pushed her glasses up, "That's right, you told me he has a one-sided rivalry with Goku!" Shorty exclaimed. Bulma and Yamcha looked at each other and nodded their head, "Seems about right," Bulma giggled.

"At least he isn't here!" Oolong sighed as he came to the table carrying a tray full of drinks. He hopped on a seat next to Shorty and gave her a cheeky grin. "I can give you all the information you need, babe. Just pay me a little visit and I'll fill you up," he offered. Bulma shot a frown at the pig and took her drink from the tray.

"Why don't you lay off? She just got used to you twenty minutes ago," she muttered as she took a sip. Shorty smiled and took a drink as well.

"I'd rather pass, thanks."

"Your loss, babe," Oolong shrugged as he took a sip from his glass. "Anyways, that Vegeta really scared the bacon out of me. I don't know what I would do if he showed up again!" he exclaimed. Bulma waved her hand back and forth, dismissing the idea.

"Under all that pride and armor he's really a big teddy bear," she said. Yamcha rolled his eyes, "That teddy bear stole your spaceship. He's really the opposite if you ask me," he gruffed.

"And I didn't! Besides, he only took it so he could go chase after Goku and beat him. I admire a man who goes after what he wants," she admitted. She wasn't any bit bothered by this. Shorty began to wonder if Bulma lost a few brain cells while she was away. Even though she didn't know this Vegeta it seems like a terrible thing thing to do, whether or not it was to settle something with Goku.

"So you admire him now? That's insane!" Yamcha exclaimed. His face was beginning to get red, probably from frustration or maybe jealousy.

"Someone is getting a little jealous," Oolong laughed. Shorty smiled, so that was it then. Yamcha crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, "Whatever!" he yelled. Panchy suddenly came outside, walking towards the table. "Your father said the ship didn't have much fuel, so he should be back shortly," she said in a kind and sweet voice. She refilled glasses and quickly left to attend to other things. Shorty raised an eyebrow. Maybe she'll be able to get a picture of this Vegeta herself.

Bulma looked away, "I wish we could say the same for Goku," she muttered. Yamcha took notice of the change in her mood and dropped the jealous act.

What's wrong with Goku?

"So, Shorty… uh… why so interested in all this stuff?" Yamcha asked. The girl looked up from her notebook and smiled, "I want to be a reporter for NNC. Maybe if I do reports on this I can gain some attention from them and get hired," she said. Yamcha nodded his head.

Oolong took a pause from his drink, "So like, is Shorty your real name or what?" he asked.

The girl shook her head.

"My real name is-"

She paused in the middle of her sentence and stared in disbelief as a large metal sphere was quickly heading towards Bulma's home. She raised a shaky hand and pointed at the thing.

"H-hey, should we be worried?" She asked. Everyone turned to where Shorty was pointing and a huge gulp was heard right before the heavy metal crashed somewhere outside Bulma's property.

"Oh, eat me," Oolong whimpered.

Yamcha jumped up from his chair, his face was pulling into an angry scowl. "Wait here," he yelled and Oolong laughed nervously, "Don't need to tell me twice, buddy."

"No way, I'm going!" Bulma shouted as she pushed past Yamcha and dashed to the crash landing sight. Yamcha blinked his eyes and followed after her.

"Wait, it could be dangerous!"

Shorty was left sitting at the table with Oolong who returned to his drink. She slowly reached into her bag that was hanging from her chair and pulled out a cheap camera. "I'll be right back," she whispered and followed after the two.

She followed them to the front yard where the heavy metal crashed. Shorty could see Panchy standing there, shaking due to fear. Slowing down her pace, the wannabe reporter stared at the contraption and noticed the smoke surrounding it. The thing must've took a beating.

"Honey! The spaceship is back!" Panchy shouted as her hands shook. She was holding a pitcher of water and it was spilling out due to her shakiness. Yamcha quickly moved in front of her, shielding her as he stared angrily at the fallen spaceship. Bulma stared at the ship was a hand on her hip.

Suddenly a door popped open and out came a man with a short structure, but tall hair. His clothes were tattered and even from where Shorty was standing you could smell a terrible odor. He also seemed like a naturally angry looking guy.

"Vegeta! Just what the hell are you doing here?" Yamcha yelled.

"U-uh, how was space?" Panchy asked nervously.

Shorty blinked her eyes and held up the camera to take a picture of this Vegeta. He noticed and shot a glare at her, but it didn't stop her.

"I don't sense Kakarrot's energy here," Vegeta muttered angrily.

"Carrot?" Shorty questioned.

Yamcha suddenly had a shaky voice, "Are you saying you didn't find Goku out there?" he asked. Maybe this whole tough act was just a ploy to fool Bulma into thinking Yamcha was a real man. Guess he isn't in the end.

Vegeta turned towards Yamcha and made a huge jump, landing directly in front of him. You could see fear in Yamcha's eyes as she stared down Vegeta. Shorty had to plug her nose.

"Why would I waste my time telling you anything?" Vegeta asked with a mean glare. Yamcha flinched and took a step back.

"W-Well-"

"Now, come you two," Bulma sighed as a smile played on her lips. She walked over to Vegeta and pressed a finger against his tattered armor. "Someone is in need of bath, C'mon, Vegeta!" she chirped. Vegeta and Yamcha stared at Bulma in disbelief. Was she really treating some weird alien dude like a normal human being?

After realizing Vegeta wasn't following, Bulma turned her head angrily, "You smell like wet dog! Now follow me!" she yelled. Vegeta crossed his arms and begrudgingly followed after the woman.

"W-what just happened…" Yamcha muttered. Shorty tilted her head and watched as Bulma led Vegeta away.

"He seems okay," The girl said looking up at Yamcha.

"Okay?! He tried to kill us!" He yelled. Shorty shrugged, "if Bulma is comfortable with him then I'll be too. Besides, you're the one that actually got killed if I remember, right?" She asked with a grin.

Yamcha glared and shoved past Shorty. "That green thing took me by surprise that's all!"

 

[***]

 

"I left some clothes out for you, Vegeta!"

Bulma joined the rest of the group in the patio. By now Krillin was here, resting back in his chair, just as relaxed as Bulma.

"Do you think Vegeta will freak out and kill us?" She asked suddenly. There was no worry in her voice though, if anything it was a simple thought in her brain.

"You worry about that now?" Yamcha asked annoyed. He seemed less tense, but still obviously bitter about the whole situation. He didn't think anyone could tell, but they could see that he was near close to pissing his pants. Krillin shrugged, "I guess we'll have to wait and see, hopefully he doesn't," he chuckled nervously. He suddenly turned to Shorty who was sitting next to him. "How do you and Bulma know each other? You're pretty young to be hanging out with her," he said with a grin as he jabbed a thumb towards the Bulma. Said woman quickly turned sour and glared.

"Gee, thanks. And her dad and mine used to work together until a few years ago," she muttered. Krillin and Yamcha raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really?"

"He quit to start up the company Hetap."

There were murmurs across the table, making Shorty slightly nervous. "Is that a problem?" she asked, getting ready to leave and go home. Krillin shook his head with a smile on his face. "No, not at all. It's actually quite impressive!" he chuckled.

"Hey, you gotta be some type of jillionaire. Why not just live off that money instead of going for NNC?" Yamcha asked. Bulma glared and smacked the back of his head.

"H-hey, OW!"

"Such a stupid thing for you to say! Just because a girl has money doesn't mean she has to throw away the opportunity to make her own life!"

Yamcha rubbed his head, "I wasn't saying that! I just think it would be easier if she lived off of the money instead of going for a big company like NNC," he defended himself. Bulma glared and placed her hands on her hips, "Oh, so you're saying she can't do it?" she asked. Krillin laughed, "Just stop while you have the chance," he said. Yamcha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

Shorty just watched, mildly amused.

"Servant! I need a towel!"

"Oh no," Krillin said as a smile was creeping onto his face. Everyone turned to Bulma who scowled and placed her hands on her hips.

"Are you there, servant? I need a towel!"

Everyone stayed silent, listening to angry alien yell from the shower.

"Bull moose! Are you there? I demand a towel!"

"He's calling you," Krillin grinned,

"Oh shut up!" Bulma hissed. She turned towards the voice and shouted. "My name is Bulma! And you can say please!"

"F-forget it then, where are my clothes?"

"I laid some out for you."

Shorty grinned slightly. She asked Bulma if she could pick out some for Vegeta and was happy to see the wide selection of colors she had. Hopefully the space alien was pleased with it.

"IS THIS A JOKE? ARE THESE CLOTHES FOR A MAN OR A WOMAN?!"

Okay, maybe not.


	2. Chapter 2

"I look like a flower!" Vegeta said in an almost painful way. His body was doing this weird twitching, kind of like what a cold chihuahua would do. "Wow, so stylish," Bulma sneered as she turned to look at the space alien. She turned back to face the group at the table and threw her head back, laughing heartily along with everyone else. Shorty could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She hadn't meant to anger the first alien she has ever come into contact with. The colors kind of just stood out to her, and thought a bright pink would lighten up his day. But it only hurt his ego.

"DON'T LAUGH AT ME. I'VE KILLED MEN FOR FAR LESS!" Vegeta shouted. Immediately the laughter stopped and everyone's smile had vanished, except for Bulma who simply smirked. "Chill out and just stick with us. You won't even have to search for Goku, he'll just come to you," Bulma said. Vegeta blinked his eyes and seemingly calmed down. Shorty took note of that and immediately sent her father's assistant a text, telling her that she wouldn't come home until Goku showed up. Shorty would stay with Bulma forever until Goku comes around. She was determined to meet this man and get any quotes or information from him.

"So, you dating anyone?" Oolong asked with a smirk. The pig raised an eyebrow and elbowed Shorty playfully. The girl shook her head and scooted away from the animal.

Suddenly Vegeta swiped at the glasses on the table, knocking them to the ground. Yamcha immediately jumped up from his chair and pointed a finger at the angry alien. "I-I knew it! You are here to murder us!" he yelled scared. Krillin held a hand out to Yamcha to silence him and his gaze was focused deathly on his lap.

"D-Do you sense that?" he asked shakily. Shorty watched as the 3 men all expressed shock and some variations of fright. "That idiot Kakarrot didn't finish him off!" Bulma frowned, clearly confused at Vegeta's outburst.

Yamcha sat back down slowly and crossed his arms.

"It can't be him. He's dead isn't he?"

Shorty finally spoke up.

"Who are you talking about?" She asked. Vegeta immediately sent the girl a glare and that sent shivers down her spine. Who knew such a look could have that sort of effect on her? Krillin shot up from his chair, "Sorry, Bulma but I need to use your phone to call Gohan!" he yelled as he dashed inside the house. Bulma opened her mouth to direct Krillin where the phone was, but he was gone before she could. "H-hey, what's the big idea here?!" she yelled finally losing her temper. Vegeta scoffed and turned his back to her. "I don't have time for this," and he shot up into the air and sped away, Yamcha shakily followed after him.

"Stay put, girls!" he yelled before he left.

Shorty made a face and caught glance of Krillin running out of the house from a different exit. He gave a kickstart and flew away, leaving Bulma, Shorty, and Oolong. "What's the big idea here?!" Bulma yelled as she stomped her feet in frustration. She immediately stormed away, Shorty followed after her.

"I'm just gonna stay here… and eat," Oolong chuckled nervously. Bulma ignored him and grabbed Shorty's wrist. "C'mon, we aren't going to be left behind!" she yelled. The blue haired woman slipped out a tiny capsule and pressed down on the button at the top of it. "Watch out," she warned as she tossed the capsule and immediately smoke blurred Shorty's vision, but once it cleared an airplane had appeared.

"What do you think is going on?" The teenager asked nervously as she followed Bulma into the plane. "I got a feeling Frieza might be back," she said with an unexpected smile.

"Isn't that guy supposed to be like, scary?"

"Hell yeah! But I never got a chance to look at him! Not once! So now is my chance." Bulma quickly started the plane and zoomed off, not giving Shorty a chance to buckle up. "Uh… I'm a little scared maybe we should just stay back at your place," the teenager mumbled as she peeked out the window. They were already gaining height. How eager was Bulma to see some space freak?

"What? Don't be scared of Frieza-"

"I was talking about your piloting," Shorty said quickly as she pulled away from the window and stared down at her lap.

"Oh."

The next few minutes were in silence as Shorty refused to talk. She was too scared and was focused on not vomiting. How screwed are they? Frieza can't be that strong… right? And if he is then Vegeta and Krillin can handle him… right? Well, there's Yamcha, but he can just be a cheerleader for the team.

"Oh, I think that's them!" Bulma shouted. She pushed open the window and stuck her head out to call out to the men below.

"HEYY!"

"B-Bulma!" Shorty shouted. She tugged on the woman to pull her back into the vehicle. The plane was landed roughly and the teenager was the first one out. "I thought I told you to stay!" Yamcha shouted. "I wanted to see this Frieza guy for myself! I went all the way to planet Namek and I didn't even get a glimpse of the guy," Bulma said with a grin.

"Do you even know how dangerous he is?" Yamcha asked. He looked like he was on the brink of a mental breakdown. Shorty wouldn't blame him though. She was close to that mentality as well. All she wanted was to talk to Goku, but now she's in some weird rocky place, ready to meet an evil alien who apparently destroys planets… or something like that.

"Well, duh. If Frieza puts his mind to it he can pop this planet like a water balloon, right? Might as well get a front row seat to it!" The blue haired woman placed her hands on her hips. "I wanna see if he lives up to the hype," she finished. Yamcha looked like a mess as he stared at her. His eyes were wide and jaw dropped. Since when did Bulma get this tough?

A weird chuckle was heard from Vegeta. It was creeping Shorty out to see the short-tempered man smirk like that towards Bulma.

"Tien, Chiaotzu!"

Huh?

Shorty turned around to see a tall bald man land on the ground along with a weird looking kid. The kid's skin was pure white and he wore strange looking clothes. As Shorty got a closer look she realized the bald man had a third eye on his forehead. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly covered her mouth to prevent a squeak from escaping.

"What the hell is he doing here, Yamcha?" The bald man asked as he nodded towards Vegeta, seemingly angry. "Oh, look who decided to show up," Vegeta laughed.

"H-Hey, lets just get along for the moment, Tien!" Yamcha pleaded as he came between the third eye guy and Vegeta. Shorty turned away from them and noticed another… man? He was green and wore weird clothes with large shoulder pads. She moved closer to him.

"Hey, why don't you keep your power levels down so Frieza doesn't sense you, idiots!" Vegeta shouted. He turned to the green man and smirked. "The Namekian has the right idea about this. Been here the whole time."

Gasps were heard.

"Piccolo?"

Shorty raised an eyebrow, "Your name is Piccolo?" she asked. The so-called Namekian turned to her and gave her a rough stare and looked away.

"Woah, didn't even notice him," Yamcha chuckled nervously.

"Hey, it's Krillin and Gohan! Yoohoo! Over here!" Bulma shouted happily. She waved her arms in the air to get the pair's attention. They landed quickly with grim looks on their faces.

"Hey, is Goku back?" Yamcha asked frantically. The child shook his head slowly. Bulma's joyful mood depleted quickly. "Why is there another kid here?" Shorty asked herself. She thought Oolong was weird, but everyone here… they were something else. Just who are these people? What did Shorty get herself into?

"I-if Goku is still gone when Frieza gets here…"

Piccolo immediately tensed up.

"He's here!" the Namekian shouted. Shorty immediately covered her ears as Piccolo's voice rang through the air. Was he really that scared? Yeah, she just met them, but they seemed pretty strong. How tough is this Frieza? Would it be a ballsy move to try and get a picture of him? She did have her camera after all.

"No doubt about it… that's definitely him… Frieza is still alive," The child said through his clenched teeth. Krillin shook slightly, "And to top it, there is someone with him that is even more powerful."

Bulma had ditched her tough act by now and had sunk to the floor. The realization that a space alien who held the power to destroy Earth had finally hit her. Even Vegeta, who had a tough front since he got here, was uncharacteristically afraid. You could tell by his dilated pupils and the sweat building up at his forehead… his wide forehead…

"Listen! I don't want any of you flying! Conceal your power levels!" Vegeta yelled.

Everyone silently agreed to that, whether or not they liked Vegeta.

"What's the point here? We're all just bugs to Frieza anyways!" Yamcha said defeatedly. He was staring at the ground in disbelief of what was going on. Vegeta finally gained back the cockiness he had lost and smirked at Yamcha.

"Finally realizing your planet is doomed? Listen, you can stay here and cry or you can man up and come with us. Your choice."

Yamcha looked away, embarrassed.

"Even that four eyed brat is still here, so I suggest you shut your mouth and do what you came here to do," Vegeta scoffed as he started walking away. Yamcha's eyes widened and he looked at Shorty who was finally noticed for the first time. The teenager raised an eyebrow and smiled in satisfaction. The thought that she was slightly braver than Yamcha made her ego go up a bit. She quickly followed after Vegeta, but kept some distance between them.

 

[***]

 

"Watch your step, Shorty."

The teenager smiled as she reached for Gohan's hand. The group was currently jumping from rock to rock, trying their best not to fall below. "You're pretty strong," Shorty commented as Gohan pulled her away from the ledge of the tall rock. The boy blushed slightly and chuckled nervously, "Not really, but thank you," he said as he turned his back to her.

"It's really amazing actually," Shorty rambled on. She wasn't paying attention to her footing and as she was about to give another awkward compliment to the boy her foot slipped. Her body immediately went cold and she could see Gohan continuing on his walk, not noticing that the girl was falling.

No scream was let out as she fell. Her hair whipped around her face and then with a loud thud she hit the floor, paralyzed from what just happened. It was a long fall and how she managed to not die and also stay conscious was beyond her. Her body was in pain though and she knew immediately that something was wrong with her leg.

"Shorty?!"

That was Krillin's voice. His head peeked over the ledge and he spotted the girl lying on the floor.

"Are you okay? I'll come get you!" He promised just as Bulma pushed his face out of the way to see where her young friend was. Her eyes widened, "SHORTY! OH NO!" She cried out.

"A-ah, oh no I should have paid more attention!" Gohan said as he peered down as well.

Krillin was about to jump down when Vegeta's voice boomed out.

"The only way you'll get back up here with her is if you fly, and you're not doing that!"

"But we can't leave her down there!" Krillin argued.

"You're a heartless jerk, Vegeta! You know that?" Bulma shouted. The angry man simply shrugged and continued on his path. "The girl got herself into that mess, let her get herself out," he said.

"I-I'll be fine. Just keep on going," Shorty said. Krillin and Bulma looked at each other then back down at the girl. "We'll come back for you, We promise!" Bulma shouted. The teenager sighed and closed her eyes. Just why did this have to happen? She doesn't even know where she is.

Sucking in a deep breath, Shorty slowly brought herself up into a sitting position. Her arms were shaking and bruises were already starting to form around them. She leaned herself against a rock wall and slowly stood up, making sure not to put a lot of weight on her left leg that was immediately feeling sharp pains. Walking away, the girl looked around the area and saw nothing but cliffs and rocks of course. She sighed and started walking forward, not really having a destination in mind.

Her camera that she had hanging around her neck was cracked. It wouldn't turn on, but luckily she still had her cellphone. In case she ran into this Frieza she could still get some footage of the alien and quickly upload it to the Internet before she's killed.

She's dedicated her life to journalism and there's nothing she won't do to get a good story and a ticket to NNC. Although, you can't get into NNC if you're dead so maybe she could get the pictures from a safe distance.

Shorty continued walking for what seemed a century. The pain in her leg was starting to overwhelm her, leaving her in a bad position. She dropped down to her knees roughly and let her head fall. She was officially stranded and no way on earth was anyone going to find her. She had ventured far out and no one would have thought she'd gone this far. She was never going to get that story on Goku.

"This sucks," she mumbled.

Stupid Vegeta and his whole "We have to conceal our power levels" rant. In a rare moment of time Shorty had genuinely wished that Frieza took him out first. That's what he would get for leaving her behind, even though she technically said it was okay.

"Um, excuse me?"

What?

Shorty turned her head to see a boy around her age kneeling beside her. The girl's eyes widened as she quickly latched onto him in relief, scaring the boy greatly.

"I'm sorry, but I thought I was going to get stuck out here!" she cried as she clung onto the boy. He wanted to shake her off, but feared he would come off as rude. "Why are you out here? It's dangerous and why is there blood on your clothing?" he asked. He managed to pull Shorty away, but kept a grip on her arms to hold her steady.

"I fell and was left behind."

"Ouch…"

Shorty nodded her head. "What're you doing here? Are you friends with Bulma and all those other people too?" she asked. The boy shook his head.

"No-"

"Then you're here to see Frieza too?" Shorty asked.

"Uhh… it's kind of complicated," he muttered. The boy sighed and moved to pick up Shorty. The girl immediately backed away from him, but he grabbed her anyway. "Sorry about this. I'm running a bit late and I can't exactly leave you here so I'll just take you with me and drop you off somewhere safe."

Shorty winced a little as she was picked up by the boy. He was strong and had a this weird, but familiar purple hair. She inspected his clothing and noticed the Capsule Corp logo on his jacket.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights…" The boy said as he held Shorty in his arms. The girl ignored that and tugged on his sleeve. "You work for Capsule Corp? Why haven't I noticed you before?" she asked. The boy bit his lip and shrugged.

"I-I don't know, but hold on tight, okay?"

The pair immediately shot up into the sky. Shorty immediately wrapped her arms tightly around her savior and buried her face into his shoulder. She would have prefered Bulma's piloting skills over this. Just how many people can fly exactly?


End file.
